After seeing off Wei Yenwu and his wife, who left with two boxes of videotapes, Flandre was suddenly pulled into a hug by Beatrice.
"Flandre, what's the deal with the video? Why haven't I heard you mention it before?!"
Flandre waved at Lin Yuxia, who was about to leave, before answering, "I didn't know Sister Ch'en hadn't told you about it!"
"Hmph! That Pink Sausage Dragon has been like that since she was a kid—you can't squeeze a single word out of her even if you prodded her with a stick." After saying that, she began to recount her display of great prowess that afternoon.
Flandre waited for her to finish before saying, "Actually, I was there in the afternoon."
"Ah! Then why didn't I see you?" Beatrice's eyes widened.
"Because Governor Wei and the others were there too!" Flandre explained how they had watched the entire process of her handling the situation at the Central Plaza from inside the car.
Hearing this, Beatrice patted her chest in relief. "Good thing I did everything by the book the whole time. To be honest, I was about to raise the price, but then someone from their side attacked a police officer. I thought, 'Aha, isn't this the perfect opportunity?' so I decisively took those guys down!"
Flandre: "Huh? But Sister Lin said didn't you arrange for that person to be there?"
"What? I arranged it?! That sewer rat is actually slandering me like that? I, Beatrice, have always been upright and honorable; I wouldn't deign to use such underhanded tactics!" Beatrice jumped up like a cat with its fur standing on end upon hearing this.
"Achoo~"
Not far outside the Guard Department, a group of people who had been innocently caught up in the incident were released after finishing their statements. As one of them walked toward the entrance of an alley, a figure stepped out from within.
"Xiao Li, thanks for your help today!"
"Don't mention it. If it weren't for Big Sister's help, us brothers would've probably died in a gutter in the Slums long ago. Being able to help Big Sister and even getting a filling meal of pork chop rice at the station—it wasn't a loss at all! Oh, right, Xiao Wu's child is having a full-month celebration next Wednesday. If Big Sister is free, you should come by." The man looked at the woman nearby with a chuckle.
"No problem. If I have time then, I'll definitely be there. By the way, is it a boy or a girl?"
"A big, fat boy! He was seven pounds six ounces at birth, very sturdy!"
"Alright then, it's getting dark, so walk carefully on your way..."
"Don't worry, Big Sister, I know this road like the back of my hand."
After the man left, the woman he called "Big Sister Head" tucked her hands in and walked toward the Guard Department carrying several boxes of steaming hot food. Her long green hair was particularly striking in the darkness.
The next day.
By the time Flandre woke up, Beatrice had already left the house. After all, many people were arrested yesterday. While the passersby who weren't merchants had all left the Guard Department after giving their statements, today she had to deal with the merchants one by one.
After getting up, Flandre felt a bit bored and decided to go for a stroll. Not far from the villa area, she saw Lady Fumizuki with a vegetable basket hanging from her wrist.
"Flandre!" The other woman saw her too and waved.
"Auntie Fumizuki, are you going grocery shopping?" Flandre asked.
"Yes, there's a wet market around here. Not only are the vegetables cheaper than where I live, but they're also fresher. So, I usually come here whenever I'm free! Want to come along and take a look?" Fumizuki reached out and tapped Flandre's forehead.
"Sure!" Flandre had never been to a wet market before, so she was naturally very interested. Led by Fumizuki, the two walked for about ten minutes and finally arrived at the market she mentioned.
Looking at the sea of people and the vast array of unfamiliar things inside, Flandre felt as if she had discovered a new world. Like a curious toddler, she would ask loudly whenever she saw something she didn't recognize. Fumizuki, smiling, provided her with the answers.
Before long, they ran into the Twin Maids who were also there to shop. Flandre then learned that they also came here every day to buy all sorts of fresh food. Following behind the three of them, Flandre spent a happy morning playing around in the wet market.
After saying goodbye to Lady Fumizuki and the Twin Maids at the market entrance, Flandre prepared to find somewhere else to have fun. As she walked, she suddenly caught a whiff of blood. As a vampire, she was certain it was fresh human blood. But the smell was coming from an inconspicuous little alley.
She walked over and saw a young man collapsed on the ground, clutching his abdomen, his face pale. The culprit was long gone. Judging by the large pool of blood, he wouldn't live much longer if the bleeding wasn't stopped in time. Flandre squatted down and looked at him.
"Look into my eyes!"
Hearing Flandre's words, the man subconsciously used his last bit of strength to look up. The moment their eyes met, a red light flashed in Flandre's eyes. After reading his memories and spotting a familiar figure within them, she reached out and pressed her hand against him. The next moment, the blood that had been gushing out stopped.
Flandre took out her phone and dialed a number.
"Sister Hoshiguma? It's me, Flandre. I'm at an alleyway entrance on Limin Road. Can you come over for a moment?"
"Just me?" On the other end, Hoshiguma was very confused by Flandre's call; why would she ask for her specifically?
"Yeah, hurry up!" Flandre hung up after saying that.
Then she walked back to the young man's side and pressed her hand against his chest. His pale complexion regained some color. "Don't worry, I've stopped the bleeding and stimulated your hematopoietic function. Although it might cost you some of your lifespan, it will definitely save your life."
The young man didn't say anything, but he looked much more relaxed. More than ten minutes later, Hoshiguma arrived on her motorcycle not far from Flandre. By now, Flandre had shielded the area with the Idlers Dispelling Spell, so no one else had noticed anything wrong yet. While Hoshiguma was looking for Flandre, she felt her wrist being grabbed. Looking down, she saw it was Flandre pulling her forward.
When they entered the alley and saw the person lying on the ground, Hoshiguma's expression changed drastically.
"Xiao Li!"
She rushed to him and was about to check on him when Flandre stopped her. "Don't worry, Sister Hoshiguma. I've stopped his bleeding and stimulated his hematopoietic function, but he lost quite a bit of blood, so he's temporarily unconscious."
Hoshiguma nodded. "Thank you! I owe you one!" After saying that, she picked up her phone and made a call. Shortly after, an ambulance arrived and took the man away.
Later, when Flandre asked about the incident, Hoshiguma told her the reason. The man was one of her informants, usually responsible for looking into low-risk cases like smuggling. He had gone out for drinks with friends last night and intended to take a shortcut home this morning, only to encounter a few thugs who had been out all night and were short on cash. Seeing him alone, they surrounded him and tried to force him to hand over his money. But he used to be a hoodlum himself, so he naturally wouldn't agree to their unreasonable demands. As a result, one of them lost his temper and stabbed him.
The stabber was also frightened by his own actions and was taken away by his accomplices, leaving the man collapsed in the alley. You could say that if Flandre had hadn't happened to pass by and save him, anyone else would likely have just called the police. By the time the police contacted an ambulance and it arrived, he would probably have already been dead. As for those who nearly killed him, their appearances were very ordinary, and there was no surveillance at either end of the alley. Finding them in a city as large as Lungmen would be incredibly difficult. Furthermore, since he didn't die, it wouldn't reach the level of a homicide investigation, so the matter was eventually dropped.
After hearing Hoshiguma's story, Flandre earnestly declared that she would never wake up early for no reason or walk through small alleys again.
"Wrong. Accidents can happen at any time. What Flandre should do is nip the danger in the bud. Just like the person Hoshiguma mentioned—if he had been more alert or had better fighting skills, he definitely wouldn't have been stabbed by those punks." Beatrice patted Flandre's forehead and added.
"Is that so?" Flandre looked bewildered.
"Beatrice is right. While Lungmen is indeed relatively safe, with such a large population, there will always be a few bad apples. Although we in the Guard Department are constantly cracking down, as soon as one criminal is put away, another pops up. So, Flandre, you still need to be careful when you're out by yourself." Ch'en, sitting nearby, spoke up.
The four of them were currently eating at a small restaurant not far from the Guard Department. This meal was Hoshiguma's treat, a thank-you to Flandre for helping her save that man. As for the other two, they were naturally there to score a free meal.
"Speaking of which, the wintersweet in Flower Village is about to bloom, but I don't have any time off until the end of the year. I really want to go see them!" Beatrice lamented after eating and drinking her fill.
"Don't look at me, I don't have any either!" Hoshiguma shrugged.
"Who doesn't? After all, the Governor has requested that many cases must be closed before the end of the year. Everyone has been busy to death lately." Ch'en also sighed.
There have been several major cases in the second half of this year, and quite a few people have been arrested. To close all these cases in less than a month, the Guard Department is under immense pressure. Almost all Operators have had their leave canceled. Except for Beatrice, who can still go home to stay, people like Hoshiguma and Ch'en have simply moved into the Guard Department building. They've both looked quite haggard lately.
"I'll go! I'll go! I don't have anything to do!" Flandre piped up, curious since she had never seen wintersweet before.
"You, alone... no way." Beatrice shook her head.
"Then how about I ask Exusiai and the others?" Flandre pointed out that she did have friends in Lungmen.
"Penguin Logistics? Don't bother. Those guys were speeding late last night, not to mention armed brawling. They're currently being detained at the Guard Department and will probably be locked up for at least a week." Beatrice said, pointing at the Guard Department building not far away.